Year: 1933
Director: Dudley Murphey
Country: US
Language: English
Ever since D.W Griffith's Birth of A Nation (1915) caused an outcry from the African American population, which caused the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) to be born, there has been a great cinematic need to portray black men and women in a positive non-racist light. Hundreds of white guilt movies like Avatar (2010), The Help (2011) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989) have been made in attempt to right the racial wrongs of the past. The Emperor Jones was one of the rare 30's movies which had an almost all black cast, but would it be sufficient?
At a Baptist prayer meeting, the preacher leads a prayer for Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson), who is leaving to become a railway porter. Jones joins the congregation in a spiritual. Once on the train he stabs a man over a crabs game. Now doing hard time he kills a white prison guard and escapes on a boat headed to the Caribbean. Eventually he takes control of an Island and declares himself "Emperor Jones". However his power comes at a price.
The film, which is based on a play with the same name, is quite polarizing. Some critics love it and some critics absolutely despise it because they feel it's blatantly racist. The film company United Artists was worried that some of the language would offend black people, so they removed the word "nigger" from all prints that would be shown in negro theaters, still the United Negro Improvement Association condemned the film. W.E.B. DuBois defended the play and film, stating "The Negro today fears any attempt of the artist to paint Negroes. He is not satisfied unless everything is perfect and proper and beautiful and joyful. He is afraid to be painted as he is, lest his human foibles and shortcomings be seized by his enemies for the purposes of the ancient and hateful propaganda."
The Emperor Jones presents an essential moral lesson to Mankind; one should not pretend to be who they are not. Denying racial background and heritage is a dangerous game that has serious repercussions. Throughout the film it is clear that Jones is a scary and delusional man who falsely thinks he's a powerful white man. He lines a bunch of black slaves in a row, calls them "niggers" and orders for them to be whipped. The way he uses the word "nigger" very clearly shows how he thinks he's superior and different compared to his own race. However as time goes by Jones slowly begins to realize the terrifying errors of his ways.
In conclusion, The Emperor Jones is a powerful film with very thought provoking themes. The legendary Paul Robeson acts his part perfectly; the cinematography and score are at times very unsettling which is good for this film.Though it's not as good as the play, only 45 minutes of it are in Murphey's screen adaptation, it certainly stands out as a great work of art. Praise it! 4/5
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